Ken Buck on Civil Rights

Won't compare gays to alcoholics again; better candidate now

Amy Stephens made the case that Ken Buck hurt the party in his failed 2010 Senate bid. Stephens said that the Weld County district attorney's performance in a national television interview had significant ramifications. Stephens noted that "unfortunately
when Ken had the 'Meet the Press' incident, along with our gubernatorial (candidates), we watched a lot of things implode."

Buck said the campaign mistakes he made four years ago, including the controversial remark comparing gays to alcoholics, was a mistake he would not repeat again. "I was unprepared for the question, and
I answered it in a shorthanded way, and I shouldn't have answered it," said Buck. "I'm a better candidate than I was four years ago. I will not implode, though I don't agree with the premise I did implode."

Buck "mis-spoke" comparing homosexuality to alcoholism

Buck made national news after saying on Meet the Press that he believed same-sex attraction was a lifestyle choice and comparing homosexuality to alcoholism. He later stood by the statement even in the face of calls from gay activists, doctors and
psychologists to retract them and even given the fact that the statements strongly supported assertions made by his detractors that his views are out of sync with the views of most Coloradans. [One voter wrote to Buck] calling for Buck to retract his
comments. Buck's campaign sent this email:

Thank you for your response. Ken may have mis-spoke, but his desire is to serve the people of Colorado period. As the prosecuting attorney for Weld County, Ken was the only DA in the country
to try a hate crime that involved a transgender individual and win. Too often comments are misunderstood and taken out of context, but the hope is that you will realize Ken's commitment to Colorado and its citizens.

Birth influences homosexuality like it influences alcoholism

Ken Buck compared homosexuality to alcoholism Sunday in a nationally televised debate. [One analyst speculated], "The homosexuality question is going to produce most of the headlines out of the debate."

Asked by the host to elaborate on a statement he
made in an earlier debate about gays in the military, Buck said he believes sexual orientation is a choice. Buck went on to say, "I think that birth has an influence over it, like alcoholism and some other things, but I think that basically you have a
choice."

After the debate, a Buck spokesman said Buck did not mean to imply with his alcoholism comparison that Buck believes
homosexuality is a disease. Buck told The Denver Post after the debate that he "wasn't talking about being gay as a disease" but also said of his remark that "there's no doubt there will probably be a commercial on something like that" from Democrats.

Don't-ask-don't-tell policy makes a lot of sense

An issue that illustrates the differences between Buck and Bennet is the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. When asked about repealing don't-ask-don't-tell, Sen. Bennet said he supported lifting the ban, saying opposition to homosexuality was a result
of "outdated views of our society."

Buck said, "I do not support the repeal of don't-ask-don't-tell. I think it is a policy that makes a lot of sense." The don't-ask-don't-tell policy itself was instituted during the Clinton years and prohibits
inquiries into the sexual orientation of military members. The current policy states that a person who makes their sexuality known is subject to discharge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The Colorado Independent, in a story
titled "Coloradans mostly agree with Bennet not Buck on don't-ask-don't-tell," reported that the majority of Coloradans supported lifting the ban. However, Buck's opinion appears to be more in line with the majority of generals and service-members.

Prosecute the murder of transgender as a hate crime

Campaign For Liberty [created an] ad which is not a strict candidate endorsement, which would violate the law, but instead to promote the group's surveys.

The commenter suggests the ad was the work of wealthy Colorado gay-rights activist Tim Gill who,
the theory goes, is supporting Buck because last year Buck chose to prosecute the murder of transgender Greeley resident Angie Zapata as a hate crime. The prosecution was a victory for the Zapata family and the gay community that rallied around the trial

The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Federal Marriage Amendment to prevent same sex marriage"